Improvement in semaphoric telegraphs



H. J. ROGERS. Semaphore Telegraph.

No. 42,794. Patented May 17, 18m.

N4 PCYERS. Fholuliuyngnpher. washmgmn. D. c.

f UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE..

HERY J. ROGERS, OQFTHE UNITED STATES NAVY.

IMPROVEMENTl IN SEMAPHORIC TELEGRAPHS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 42,7941, dated May 17, 1864, antedated` v January 25, 1864.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY J. ROGERS, of the UnitedStates Navy, now residing in the city of Washington, in the District ot' Columbia, have invented-certain new and useful improvements in semaphoric telegraphs to be used on land or at sea; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 represent the telegraph as arranged for daysgnaIing, and Figs. 5 and 6 represent the same invention as ap plied or used for night signaling.

The nature of my invention consists in the use of a-colored ball, or of a lamp showing a colored or other light, and of a cover or shieldone of which is stationary and the other movable-the movable portion being controlled orgoverned by a spring or springs to restore it to its normal position or state of rest after being moved by the operator-to show the ball or light; and the invention further consists in so constructing a signal-ball as that it lnay be contracted or folded up for easy transportation.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the same with reference to the drawings.

The signal apparatus for day-signaling may be constructed as follows:

A represents a conical or cylindrical cover, which may be suspended at a sufiicient eleva tion from a yard-arm, mast, or other suitable place on board ship, or elsewhere, by means of the cord or rope a, and to this cover or shield, as at b, or otherwise, is suspended, by a rubber or any other spring, @,a signal-ball, B, which ball when the spring is contracted shall be wholly or mainly within the cover or shield A, so as to be hid from sight by it. To the ball is attached, as at d, or otherwise, a haul-down halyard, e, by which the operator standing below can draw the ba-ll down agaim t the resista'lce of the spring c, and when let go the recoil of the spring immediately draws the ball within the shield or cover again, the exposing and concealing of the ball or other conspicuous object forming such letters or gures as may be previously agreed upon by the users.

The operation of this apparatus is as follows: The signal being elevated to a proper position so as to be seen by the parties to Whom signal is made, the signal-ball B is drawn ordi ed asshown in Fi s.2 and4 from the cone, cylinder, or cover A, by the signal` man or operator pulling the haul-down e. The ball B will resume its place, as shown in Figs. l and 3, by the recoil of the spring or springs c when its halyard is released from the hand of the operator. The ball may thus be exhibited or concealed at the will of the operator, andA during shorter or longer intervals of time, thereby forming a code of signals, as per the annexed example, assuming a dot to represent a short'interval of time, and a line to represent a long interval of time, and the following may be the key to indica-te iigures:

5 being made by five short dips of the ball, and 9 being made'by one longdip and four short ones. All other figures maybe as readily made by the short or long and short dips combined. The letters of the alphabet may also be vmade by a similar combination of long and short interval signals, or by combining the above figures in a variety of ways for that purpose.

lA few minutes practice with the apparatus will readily -give the proper time for indicating the long and the short intervals of time to be used in forming the above hgures.

Figs. 3 and 4 show a modification of my general plan of signaling, as arranged for gunboats or other purposes where a mast or yardarms are not used. In this modification C represents a hollow iron mast, which may be firmly attached to the pilot-house of the turreted class of monitor vessels, and on the top of this mast is arranged the shield or cover A, which is in the form of a creel or basket, so as not to present so much surface to the wind. The ball B may also be open or in skeleton, to allow the wind to freely pass through. The ball in this case is suspended by the springs c to the top of the mast, and the haul-down halyard e may pass through the hollow cf the mast, as shown, by w-hich it is protected from being cut by a shot. The mode of signaling is identical with that heretofore described in connection with Figs. l and 2.

Figs. 5 and 6 represent another modification of my general pla-n of signaling, the apparatus in this case being designed for night-signaling, in which a light (colored by preference) is used and a Fresnel lamp 7 preferred. In this case the shield or cover A may inclose a lamp, l), and the whole may be suspended by the cord or rope ci to a yard-arm, mast, or any other suitably-elevated thing. A portion or section of the cover or shield, in this4 case marked E, is suspended by springs c to the upper or immovable portion, and guide-rods j' and lugs g are furnished to allow this movable portion to freely and truly move up and down at the will of the operator. When the portion E is drawn down, as in Fig. 6, it exposes the light within, and when the haul- -down halyard e is let go the reaction of the springs carries up the portion E, as shown in Fig. 5, concealing the light.

. It will be observed that in the modifications shown at Figs. l, 2, 3, 4 the signal is the thing moved, but in the modification shown at Figs. 5 and 6 the cover or shield is moved, while the signal (the lamp) remains stationary. This involves no change of principle in the action of the apparatus, nor does the changing of the form or construction of the signal and the shield alter the general characteristics of my invention, as many changes may be made and no doubt will be made to suit the varying circumstances of the ease.

T he ball when large would be inconvenient in transportation, and to avoid this I have so made it, as shown in Fig. 2, as that it may be folded up and very much contracted in size. ln'making this ball I take a series of rings, l 2 3 4 5 6 7 (more or less) and cover them with cloth, canvas, or any other ilexible inaterial, and unite the top and bottom rings by means of hinged arms h h, to which cords j are so fastened and protruded through the cover ofthe ball as to allow of bracing the ball in a perpendicular position when ,it is to be used and letting down the arms into a horizontal position when the ball is to be folded up or packed for transportation.

To use this signaling apparatus the operator proceeds by means of the haul-down to draw or dip the movable part of the apparatus, whether that be the signal ball or light or the screen, so as to show the signal, and

this he exhibits for a longer or shorter period of time, as the gure, character, or letter to be made may require. By releasing his hold upon the haul-down the springs contract and obscure the signal. These movements may be repeated during long and short intervals of time, thereby exposing and screening the signal at the will of the operator, in accordance with the code hereinbefore illustrated.

Among the advantages of this mode of signaling may be enumerated, rst, that it is applicable to the Morse telegraphic alphabet, as well as to all known codes of signals.

' At present a number of lamps are shown at the same time for night-signaling, which renders such plans complicated and very uncertain in their operation.

By my plan but one lamp is required to in dieate with rapidity and precision the letters of the alphabet and figures for communicating intelligence between distant points. This is a second important advantage.

Third, in regard to safety on board ship, my apparatus avoids the great risks incurred from burning colored lires, the waving of in flammable torches, and similarl explosive appliances now used in the army and navy.

Fourth, a still more important advantage consists in the rapidity with which the signals are made, for by my plan the ball need only be moved a distance equal to its diameter to fully expose and entirely conceal it, because of the shield or screen used with it, whereas without the shield that extent of motion at a remote distance would scarcely be appreciable. So,\too,with the lamp or colored..

light. lts exposure and entire obscuration requires but little movement of the shield, and hence it is quickly made. l l

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination of a ball, a spring, and

suspended screen, orof a light, a spring, and suspendedscreen with a haul down or equivalent connection, for day and night signals, as herein set forth.

2. 1n combination with the signal-ball, the

hinged arms for holding it expanded and for admitting of its being folded up and readily packed for transportation, substantially as described.

HENRY J. ROGERS.

Witnesses:

A. B. SToUGHToN, XAvER: FENDRICH. 

